List of Keeping Up Appearances characters

List of Keeping Up Appearances characters

This is a list of characters for the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, which was first broadcast from 1990 to 1995.

Contents

Main characters

Hyacinth Bucket

The show's protagonist, the social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket (who insists her surname is pronounced Bouquet). Hyacinth's primary aims in life are to impress people, particularly those of the upper-classes, and to give the impression she's of high social-standing (despite her fairly average status). Her snobbery results in her being despised by those around her. She'll do her best to avoid her poorer relatives to preserve the social status she thinks she has, nevertheless Hyacinth loves her family dearly and will rush to their aid when in need of it.

Hyacinth is one of four sisters; herself, Daisy, Violet and Rose.

Richard Bucket

Hyacinth's long-suffering husband who's at her beck and call. Richard is a calm, tolerant and relaxed character, caring little for enhancing or preserving social status. He obeys his domineering wife's orders (presumably because it's easier than listening to her complain and rant), which usually involve contrived plots to either impress neighbours or aristocrats, or a far-fetched plan to avoid Hyacinth's down-market family.

Richard was described by writer of the show Roy Clarke, as a “Foil”, to show Hyacinth’s character to worst advantage.

Elizabeth Warden

Hyacinth’s friendly, tolerant next-door neighbour, who regularly gets invited round for coffee at the Bucket residence. Aware of Hyacinth's house-proud ways, Liz is terrified of spilling, dropping or breaking anything in her neighbour's home, but ironically, Hyacinth's flighty mannerisms and nagging have the effect of making Liz especially clumsy in her presence, and she indeed ends up spilling, dropping or breaking something. Unlike most, Liz sympathises with Hyacinth, aware of how she's despised by everyone, including Liz's brother Emmet, and may thus, be Hyacinth's only real friend.

Emmet Hawksworth

Liz’s brother Emmet lives with his sister. Due to him being a classically trained musician, Emmet is frequently sung at by Hyacinth, who gives broad hints that he should include her in his work. Hence Emmet is terrified of leaving the house, and develops both a fear and dislike for his musical neighbour.

Daisy

A happy, lively character, Daisy lives with her slobbish husband Onslow, man-eating sister Rose and their senile father. Daisy, Onslow and Rose are the lower-class relatives Hyacinth is ashamed of. Daisy is constantly trying to get her husband to show compassion towards her. However, she often fails to rouse any signs of affection from him, and as a result, buries herself in romantic novels.

Daisy, like her husband, enjoys life in the slow lane; she spends most of her time sitting on the sofa eating, reading or watching television. Like Rose and Violet, Daisy turns to Hyacinth for help when faced with a problem, whether it is a love dilemma pertaining to her husband Onslow, or an urgent case of the "missing father" syndrome.

Onslow

The beer-guzzling, unemployed and apathetic slob despised by Hyacinth, Onslow threatens his sister-in-law's social prestige with scruffy dress and common ways. Onslow is proudly "bone idle", and eats, drinks and sleeps until noon. He'll watch television all day every day, and rarely move from his armchair. Nevertheless, Onslow's intellectual readings and viewings open university have made him knowledgeable. Onslow is a gentle character, despite his appearances suggesting otherwise, and is Roy Clarke's favourite character in the show, as stated in the Comedy Connections series.

Rose

Hyacinth's younger, man-eating sister, with an eye for married men and a taste for short-skirts and provocative outfits, Rose is another family member who Hyacinth is ashamed of, and another character, like Onslow and Daisy, who threatens her social prestige. Rose is promiscuous, but also a gentle soul who's a bit mixed up, as pointed out by Richard.

Other characters

Michael, the Vicar

Michael is the vicar of Hyacinth's parish, and, like most, is terrified of Hyacinth, doing his best to avoid her, often unsuccessfully. Moreover, he often forgets that Hyacinth prefers her last name to be pronounced "bouquet" and addresses her as "Mrs. Bucket". (When discussing Hyacinth with his wife, they frequently refer to her as "the Bucket woman".) He is called "that dishy vicar" by Hyacinth's sister Rose, who often pursues him, much to the anger of his jealous wife. The vicar being wrongly accused of having affairs with Rose or other women is a recurring gag in the series, as well as breaking whatever he is holding when his wife mentions her, or in one episode, while on an exercise pedal bicycle, pedaling faster, as if to escape. The Vicar gives Hyacinth, Richard, Onslow, Daisy, Rose a lift after Onslow's car breaks down.

Violet and Bruce

Violet is Hyacinth's almost-invisible, wealthy sister whom she always brags about having a "Mercedes, sauna [and] room for a pony" (though it is never clarified as to whether Violet actually has a pony or merely room for one). Violet leads a troubled marriage with cross-dressing husband Bruce, and Hyacinth tries to keep the oddities of the latter away from her neighbours and friends. She is the third-eldest of the four sisters.

While Violet is obviously far more affluent than Hyacinth, she is not the snob Hyacinth is. She is far more accepting of Daisy, Onslow and Rose than Hyacinth, in that she is not embarrassed by them.

Violet and Bruce are only briefly seen in a few episodes in the first four series. However, in the fifth series they become recurring characters.

Daddy

Daddy is the father of Hyacinth, Violet, Rose, and Daisy. He lives with Onslow, Daisy, and Rose. Daddy seems unable to keep himself out of trouble. Either chasing women or reliving his childhood or war experiences, he often goes missing and requires the rescue efforts of his daughters and sons-in-law. His screen appearances are somewhat rare, and his spoken lines even more so.

Sheridan Bucket

Sheridan is Hyacinth and Richard's son. He is away at college and is known to audiences primarily through Hyacinth's phone conversations with him. It is implied that Sheridan is gay (perhaps in a relationship with roommate Tarquin), Hyacinth herself either doesn't realize or refuses to acknowledge her son's presumed sexual orientation (she frequently describes him as being "artistic, like his mummy"). He usually phones when he is in need of money.

The Major

The Major only appears in the first two series, and hopelessly lusts after Hyacinth. Despite this irritating Hyacinth, his upper-class status means she refuses to sever contact with the man.

Mrs. Councillor Nugent

Mrs Nugent is high up the social ladder but low down the charismatic scale, being a dull, bad-tempered and ill-mannered woman. She also seems to be the only person who can get away with referring to Hyacinth as "Mrs Bucket" without feeling her wrath. Hyacinth tolerates the Councillor, not only because of her status, but also due to the fact she wants a place on her committee. When she comes to Onslow and Daisy's house to return Rose's underwear, Hyacinth uses a horrible Swedish accent to throw off suspicion to her. In "The Toy Store", when Mrs Nugent yells Mrs. Bucket, Hyacinth can be seen mouthing out "it's Bouquet", meaning she still wants to correct her, but stifles it.

Onslow's dog

The dog (name not given, but referred as a female by Onslow) is often found in the old car seen in the garden of Onslow's home. Generally placid, the dog, significantly, only barks aggressively at two characters: Hyacinth and Mrs. Councillor Nugent, the two most disagreeable characters on the show. Onslow clearly cares for the dog, as in the sixth episode of season 5, when one of Daddy's fiancées stays in the old car and the dog isn't there, Onslow goes to look for her. It is a running gag that whenever Hyacinth enters the property, the dog makes her fall in the nearby hedge by barking at her.


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